The present invention relates to a thermal link for electrical appliances, comprising an insulating part with electrical terminals and contact springs for producing an electric current path, a heat transfer plate, a fusible material insert as a thermal trip and a transmission pin of insulating material, which is displaceably mounted in the insulating part and engages at its one end with the fusible material insert and at its other end with a contact spring, and the biased contact spring pressing the pin downward after melting of the fusible material and thereby separating a contact of the contact spring. The present invention also relates to a method for producing such a thermal link.
Thermal links are known from the prior art, for example from DE 2826205 A1, where a fusible material is arranged inside a casing that is open at the top and bottom and is arranged on the heat transfer plate and in a recess of the insulating part. However, the many individual parts of such thermal links, comprising a heat transfer plate, a casing, a fusible material, an insulating part with a corresponding recess and a transmission pin, require a considerable assembly effort. Furthermore, when various fusible solders come into contact with oxygen, oxidation may cause their melting point to change.
The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a thermal link which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and can be produced at low cost with little assembly effort, the object of the present invention also being to provide a reliable method for producing a thermal link that is also suitable for large-scale production.